Why studying intermodal duration discrimination matters.

Simon Grondin

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00628

Abstract

A critical issue in the field of time perception is whether or not explicit judgments about time are processed by some internal clock mechanism. A subsequent issue is whether or not this clock, if any, is central (i.e., is the same for a large range of durations, for whatever way of marking the intervals to be processed). There are several ways of marking time, including the use of signals delivered from different sensory modalities. In other words, do we have sensory specific representations of time, or is there an amodal—central—mechanism (Bueti, 2011)? This fundamental question is addressed here with an emphasis on the discrimination of brief empty time intervals. More specifically, intermodal intervals are of interest, an intermodal interval being marked by two brief and successive stimuli delivered from different sensory modalities.

Highlights

A critical issue in the field of time perception is whether or not explicit judgments about time are processed by some internal clock mechanism
Researchers have reported that intervals marked by auditory signals are perceived as longer than time intervals marked by visual signals (Walker and Scott, 1981; Wearden et al, 1998; Penney et al, 2000; see Grondin, 2003), but this issue received recent attention in a context where auditory and visual signals marking time could be presented simultaneously (Gamache and Grondin, 2010; Hartcher-O’Brien et al, 2014)
Intervals marked by an audio-visual sequence are perceived as longer than intervals marked by a visuo-auditory sequence (Grondin and Rousseau, 1991; Grondin et al, 1996)

Summary

Introduction

A critical issue in the field of time perception is whether or not explicit judgments about time are processed by some internal clock mechanism. Mayer et al (2014) conducted an investigation involving intermodal intervals lasting from 100 to 900 ms, with combinations of auditory, visual and tactile (A, V, T) stimuli.

Results

Conclusion